Bicycles for Zambia

Voice 2:And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1:Do you own a bicycle? These two-wheeled vehicles are very useful. If you do own a bicycle, it is probably made of metal. And it was probably made in a big factory, far away from you. But it does not need to be this way. Today’s Spotlight is on Zambikes, a business in Zambia that builds, maintains and sells bicycles.

Voice 2:Today, there are hundreds of millions of bicycles in the world. People use bicycles for fun. They use them for transportation. They use them for exercise. But in some places of the world, it can be very difficult to get a bicycle. Bicycles cost a lot of money. And in some places there are no bicycles to buy.

Voice 1:Bicycles have many uses. But they are especially useful in poor areas of the world. People can use bicycles to move goods to market. They can take sick people to hospitals. They can bring medicines to homes at a low cost. Bicycles can go places that large trucks and cars cannot. And most important, bicycles never run out of fuel. For all these reasons, bicycles are very important in many African countries. Zambikes came from these simple facts.

Voice 2:As a university student, Vaughn Spethmann travelled to Zambia. His group taught at an elementary school. They helped at a home for children without parents. They played sports with the children, and with adults. When Vaughn went back to the United States, he continued to think about Zambia. He wanted to do more to help people there. Vaughn continued to study international business at university, but he also prayed. Vaughn is a Christian. He asked God to help him use his skills to help people in Zambia. Vaughn tells how God answered his prayer.

Voice 3:“Soon after my trip I was sitting in my car waiting for some friends. I was praying and God gave me this idea of how bicycles could make a huge difference in the developing world.”

Voice 1:Vaughn and his friend Dustin started collecting money from people to buy bicycles. They bought bicycles in America and sent them to Zambia. They received a lot of help from other people in the United States and bought many bicycles. But Vaughn and Dustin realized that this was not the best way.

Voice 2:So Vaughn and Dustin started a group called Acirfa. Acirfa is Africa spelled backwards. They named their group Acirfa because they wanted to turn Africa around. They wanted to make things better. After some time, Acirfa started working with people in Zambia to form a company called Zambikes.

Voice 1:Zambikes is a company to build bicycles in Zambia for the people of Zambia. Together, Acirfa and Zambikes worked with bicycle designers to make special bicycles for Zambia. The Zambikes bicycles are made for the rough ground of Zambia. They have thick strong wheels. And the body of the bicycle is also very strong. The bicycles are easy to repair.

Voice 2:Acirfa and Zambikes started working with other local groups in Zambia. They gave jobs to young people who used to live on the streets. They taught them how to make and repair the bicycles. These workers were learning important job skills.

Voice 1:Zambikes does not just sell bicycles. It also offers other bicycle vehicles. The first of these is the Zambulance. The Zambulance is a like a bed with two large bicycle wheels.